The Harlem Renaissance Annual Talk: Shaping Black Art

A scholarly talk examines how debates of the Harlem Renaissance shaped the direction of Black art through the career of painter William H. Johnson.

The Harlem Renaissance Annual Talk: Shaping Black Art takes place on Friday, January 30 at The Wolfsonian-FIU on Miami Beach. Dr. Dalila Scruggs, Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, traces Johnson’s artistic evolution across Nordic landscapes, modernist portraiture and expressive scenes of Black life, situating his work within broader conversations about cultural identity and artistic responsibility.

The program also explores how critics responded to Johnson’s work during his lifetime and how the Smithsonian American Art Museum has stewarded his legacy as home to the world’s largest William H. Johnson collection. The evening includes a talk from 7 to 8 p.m. followed by a reception from 8 to 9 p.m. Presented as part of the Making History, Making Change Lecture Series, the event reflects on the American experience in the context of the nation’s 250th anniversary.